|
Welcome
to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the
environmental review of the proposed Channel Islands Telephone Company
(CITC) Channel
Islands Telecommunications Infrastructure Project (Project). The
proposed
Project would include installation of telecommunications infrastructure
within,
upon, and near existing structures on 15 project sites. These 15
project sites are distributed over four of
the
Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. These four
islands
include San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Islands,
all of
which are part of the Channel Islands National Park.
CITC
has filed an application with the CPUC to obtain a grant for
the
construction and operation of the proposed telecommunications
facilities and
to
provide local exchange and interexchange services to and with these
four previously
underserved Channel Islands. The CPUC is the California Environmental
Quality
Act (CEQA) Lead Agency on this Project, and the National Park Service
(NPS) is
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Lead Agency. A joint
NEPA/CEQA document was prepared to evaluate the potential environmental
impacts of
this Project.
The
objective of the CITC-proposed Project is to provide high-quality,
reliable
telephone communication services between locations on the islands and
between
the islands and the mainland. In addition, the system would have
broadband data
capability that could be used by the NPS employees, other island
residents, and
the public to access the internet, communicate by email, make cellular
telephone and payphone calls, and utilize other broadband applications.
This
website
provides access to public documents and information relevant to the
NEPA/CEQA
environmental review process.
Application
The
CPUC Application of Channel Islands Telephone Company for the Channel
Islands Telecommunication Infrastructure Project may be viewed here.
Project Description
CITC proposes to install cellular
telecommunications infrastructure at 15 locations on four of the
Channel Islands, including:
- San Miguel Island
- Santa Barbara Island
- Santa Cruz Island
- Santa Rosa Island
The
project would be located on NPS-managed land in the
Channel Islands National Park. Three of the Channel Islands are under
the
jurisdiction of the NPS, while San Miguel Island is under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy. All four islands are
largely maintained in a natural state by the NPS and Navy. The Channel
Islands
National Park contains a limited amount of
development, including research stations, campgrounds, trails, and
staff residences.
The proposed project is needed
because NPS and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
staff currently has limited ability to communicate between locations
within the Channel Islands and with personnel and other contact points
on the mainland. The islands have a very high frequency radio
system that allows limited communication among radio-equipped ranger
stations
on the five islands, as well as from handheld radios. Limited satellite
internet service is also available at some ranger stations, which
allows
secure access to government internet provider (IP) addresses on the
mainland. NPS personnel also possess cellular telephones; however, the
cellular service is unreliable because the islands are at the outer
limit of the cellular service area. The location of the islands makes
the cellular telephone service unreliable on some parts of the islands
and wholly absent on others. Recreational visitors to the islands have
no land-line telephone access, and little to no cellular telephone
reception.
The proposed project would provide cellular
telephone and landline service at all ranger stations, campgrounds,
residences on four of the islands, the Santa Rosa Island and
San
Miguel Island airstrips,and all portions of the islands
within an approximately 0.5-mile radius of each of the 15 facility
locations. This new service is intended to be consistent and reliable,
with a reliability of available service of 99.99999 percent. The new
service would provide telecommunications capabilities to Channel
Islands National Park staff and recreational visitors, including
service for
personal cellular telephone communications.
The purpose of the proposed telephone service is to
provide:
- Improved
communications for NPS and NOAA staff, researchers, NPS residents, and
recreational visitors among the four islands, as well as
between
the islands and the mainland
- Communication in the case of an emergency or accident
to allow for swifter emergency response
- Improved real time weather reporting data to allow
for more accurate
travel predictions, which will reduce unnecessary and/or aborted boat
and aircraft trips to and from the islands for NPS, concessionaire, and
approved charter vehicles
Environmental
Review
The CPUC and NPS prepared an Environmental
Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) to disclose the environmental effects
of the project. The CPUC proposes to adopt a Mitigated Negative
Declaration
(MND) under CEQA. The NPS will consider whether to prepare a Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI) at the conclusion of the NEPA
review.
Notice of Preparation
A notice of preparation (NOP) for the CEQA/NEPA document
was prepared and mailed to various agencies
and interested parties on October 21, 2009. The purpose of the NOP was
to solicit input from the public and agencies about the scope of
analysis to be included in the upcoming IS/EA. The NOP was circulated
for a 30-day review period that ended on November 20, 2009. A copy of
the NOP can be found here.
The
CPUC requested a list of interested tribes from the National American
Heritage Commission (NAHC). The CPUC also consulted with the NPS to
identify entities that have shown interest in activities on the Channel
Islands. The NPS added several tribes to the scoping list, in addition
to those from the Native American Contacts List provided by the NAHC.
The CPUC distributed scoping letters to all of the
tribes identified in the NAHC Native American Contacts List or
identified by the NPS.
Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
On
November 14, 2012,
the CPUC released a Notice of Intent to
Adopt a MND/Notice of Availability (NOI/NOA) and an Initial
Study/Environmental Assessment for the Channel Islands
Telecommunications Project. The findings of the Draft IS/EA and MND are
that
the proposed project, as mitigated, would not have any significant
effects on
the environment.
The
Draft IS/EA and MND can be viewed here.
The
Draft IS/EA and MND are also available at the following public
libraries:
Ventura
County Library
Avenue Library Branch
606 N. Ventura Avenue
Ventura, CA 93001
Santa
Barbara County Central Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
CEQA Public Review Period
The
30-day CEQA public review period for the Draft IS/EA and
MND started on November 14,
2012 and ended on December 14, 2012.
Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative
Declaration
Comments
on the Draft IS/EA and MND were submitted to the CPUC during the public
review period ending on December 14, 2012. The cPUC's responses to the
comments received are presented in Chapter 2 of the Final IS/MND. The
Final IS/MND was published on December 18, 2012. The conclusions of the
Draft IS/EA and MND remain unchanged in the Final IS/MND. The proposed
project would not have a significant effect on the environment.
The Final IS/MND can be viewed here.
Copies of the Final IS/MND are also available at the following
locations:
Ventura
County Library
Avenue Library Branch
606 N. Ventura Avenue
Ventura, CA 93001
Santa
Barbara County Central Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
CPUC Actions after Final Initial Study/Mitigated
Negative Declaration (IS/MND) Publication
There
is no comment period following issuance of the Final IS/MND.
The
CPUC will determine the adequacy of the Final IS/MND, and, if adequate,
will
adopt the document as being compliant with CEQA. If adequate, the CPUC
will
issue a Proposed Decision on the Application, which will be announced
and
published concurrent with a scheduled Commission meeting. After the
Commission
makes the decision on the Application, a Notice of Determination will
be mailed
to the State Clearinghouse within 5 business days of the
Decision. The
30-day statute of limitations for court challenges begins after the
Notice of
Determination is filed.
Additional NEPA Actions Related to the Project
The
Project requires approval
from both
the CPUC and the NPS. The NPS will prepare a separate Final EA to
fulfill
the requirements of NEPA, and if appropriate, a FONSI. It is not known
at this time if the NPS will
extend the NEPA public comment period on the Draft IS/EA beyond
December 14,
2012. The NPS’s schedule for the preparation of the Final EA and
decision on
the Project is also not known at this time. Interested parties may wish
to
contact the NPS directly to find more information about the completion
of the
NEPA environmental review process. The contact information for the NPS
is provided
below.
For Additional Information
The
CPUC and the NPS, through its Environmental Review Team, has conducted
an
environmental review of the project. To request additional information
or to be
added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone,
as
follows:
Project email: Jeff.Smith@panoramaenv.com
Project fax number: (650) 373-1211
Project voicemail: (650) 340-4821
The CPUC’s Project Manager is:
Jensen Uchida, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco CA 94102
Tel (415) 703-5484
Fax (415) 703-2200
jensen.uchida@cpuc.ca.gov
The NPS's Project Manager is:
Russell Galipeau, Supterintendent
National Park Service, Channel Islands National Park
1901 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA 93001
Tel (805) 658-5702
Russell_Galipeau@nps.gov
|
